Retainer for rail-spikes.



G. B. CUTTING. RETAINER FOR RAIL SPIKES, APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1912..

Patented. Feb; 18, 1919.

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p rrEn STATES Re m era icat f GEORGE B. CU'IYJJINGQQF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

RETAINER For. RAIL-SPIKES.

To all whom may concern:

Be it known that l, GEORGE B. CUTTING,

a citizen of the' United States, residing at Worcester, in the; county ofWorcester and Stateof Massachusetts, have invented a new desired position; with reference to the rail and will cause the sam to be wedged in positioneven more tightly when-the lateral crowding strain of therail is applied to it,

thusreducing the difficulty no-wj encountered due-to the liftingofthe spikes from any wave action of the rails as a result ofheavingdueito frost or imp'er-fect ballast; also to providelf' a constructionf for this purpose; which can be used in connect on with the ordinary spikes now in use, so as to avoid any modification of these spikes and thus per metal holding surface to engage the surfaceof. the forged or cut steel spike, thus providing a very'high degree of friction to prevent the withdrawal of the spike; to provide a; construction in which the holding surfaces will beof me'tal so that the holding power of the spike will'not be afiected by wave'action of the, rails or byltempera ture 'changes'and adapted to provide for any degree} of elasticity or rigidity desired in the construction;- to provide a plate to cover the top'of the holebored in the'tieto properly space the spike from the rail so as to bringiitlexactlyat. the center of the holding device and to provide a construction which can be placed in a'holeboredpreferably by machine without necessitating any nicety of adjustment in'any way; The device is simply dropped inplace ready for the spike to. be driven 1n.

The invention. in one ,formj also involves theprovision of a soft] metal strip between the cast iron andsteelsurfaces adapted to be'embedded inf'the irregularities of ,both when-the spikejis driven in to still, further l l Specification of Letters Patent. Patentedl eb, 18, 1919. Application filed June 27, 1918. Serial No. 242,170.

increase the each other. Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had totheaccompany-J ing drawings, in which-v Figure 1 is a sectional view of a rail with a preferred embodiment of this invention applied thereto, a

Fig. 2 is a sectional view ofthe same on the line 22 of Fig. 1, and

Fig.3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modification. 1

The expense of keeping rails spiked down to the ties or sleepers is an enormous one because of the lifting of the spikes due to the movement of the rails and to expansion and contraction. The rail also exerts a lateralcrowding strain on the head of the spike and tends totilt it in its seat in the sleeper and this distorts the seatand at once loosens thespike so that it will never afterward have the same lgripping effect.

direct lifting action on the spike, but tends to move it backwardly having an action substantially the same as thelateral crowding. According to this invention, both of these actionssimply wedge the parts more firmly together without directly lifting the spike.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that have shown an ordinary rail 10 as held by an ordinary spike 11 not modifiedin theslightest degree. This in itself is of material advantage because the same spikes will be used no matter whether this invention is applied or not, and consequently this invention can be applied if desired only in the places where the greatest strain occurs, as for'example, on the inner edgesof the-rails, but I prefer to apply it grip whichthe surfaces have on touch the edge of the rail as it goes in or to clear it by a very small distance. This hole is cylindrical preferably, although not necessarily, and can be bored very readily by a machine on a hand car so that the time reuired to bore the holes is comparatively siort. After it isbored, a pair of entirely separate retaining plates 13 are introduced into it, preferably one adjacent to the edge of the base of the rail and the other just opposite the same. These retaining plates are of metal, preferably cast iron, having a channel 1 1 on the inner surface, and they have an arc-shaped outer surface which fits the circumference of the hole 12. The channel 14 is bounded by two flanges 15 on the edges. On the convex surface these retain ing plates are provided with spaced holding ribs 16 preferably horizontal on the top and slanting below so as to form horizontal wedgesshaped projections.

The two retaining plates are simply dropped in position in the hole and they may be left to have the edges of their flanges 15 come into contact or they may stand at a slight angle in the hole. No, attention need be. paid to these matters because the parts are secured. in position by driving in the spike 11. As it is wedge-shaped at the point it forces the two plates 13 apart when driven in until the ribs 16 project into the wood so as to hold the plates, 13 against be ing drawn out through the top.

The spike 11 can be driven down so that its head directly engages the top of the base of the rail; as shown in, Fig. 3, but I prefer to place a plate 20- over the opening 12 before the spike is driven in. This plate has a perforation- 21 for the spike and a flange 22 extending over the base of the rail for receiving the lower surface of the head of the spike. It also has a vertical portion 23 constituting means for spacing the spike from the rail equal to the thickness of one Of the retaining plates 13. This plate protects the 0 pening12from the entrance of water to a large degree and makes a more substantial and neater job.

I have shown in addition to what has been described a pair of thin lead plates 25 in Figs. 1 and 2 adapted to come between the surfaces of the retaining plates and the spike in order that the lead may embed itself in the regularities of both and thus help to hold the parts firmly in position after the spike is once driven to its final place. For convenience these plates 25 are shown as having flanges 26 at the top by which they are readily supported by the retaining plates so that no special care has to be exercised in placing them in position.-

They are also made just wide enough to fit snugly in the channels 14 and be held therein by friction. They can be omitted, however, as indicated in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 3 also another modification is shown in that the plates 13 extend up above the top of the tie up tothe level of the upper edge of the base of the rail, and one of said plates comes into contact with the vertical edge of the base of the rail at the point 27 to space the spike from the rail and prevent independent side motion.

In addition to the advantages that have been explained above and as. will be obvious from aninspection of the drawings, it is to be notedthatlthe lifting action of'the rail is appliedto the spike head at a dis tance from its body. Therefore, it has a tendency to swing the spike from its, normal position and a large part of the lift ingforce is exerted in this way instead of being exerted to lift the spike directly. 1 This is of advantage in thev present instance be cause it simply wedges the two plates 13, more firmlyinposition and adds to the force with which; they grip thespike 11 because one binds it much "more firmly. at the top andv the other at the bottom. This adds materially to the holding force of the spike.

Another advantage of theinvention lies in the fact that the spike is not likely to j be bent when. held between these retaining plates and consequently if it does becomeloosened the old. spikecan. be driven back,

n.- It is now customary to drive the'old spikesin, but they are often bent and in any event the opening in which they have i been located has been, enlarged by their motion so that they'seldom hold when driven in the second time.

Although I have illustrated and described only two forms of theinventioml am aware of the fact that many other modifications can be' made therein by any person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims.

' Therefore I do not wish to be limited to all the details of construction shown and described, but what I do claim-isv 1. A retaining device for a plain surfaced driven rail spikecomprising a pair of entirely separate retaining plates located in a hole inthe tie or sleeper provided with means for permanently holding them inpo; sition when the spike is driven in between them.

A'device for holding a rail spike comprlsmg a pair of retaining plates provided wlth means for permanently holdingthem in fixed position in a tie when the spike is driven in between them, the said plates be ing of unfinished cast metal and the spike of rough forged'steel. V v

3. In a device for holding a rail spike, the combination of a retaining plate located inahole in the tie or sleeper and provided with means for permanently holding it in position when the-spike is driven beside it, and a thin strip of, soft metal located be tween the surface of the spike and the surface of the retaining plate.

4:. In a device for holding a rail spike, the combination with a rail, a tie having a hole extending downwardly therein, and a spike, of a retaining plate located in said hole and provided with means for permanently holding it in position when the spike is driven in beside it, means for spacing said spike at the top of its shank from the edge of the rail, whereby the lifting effect from the rail on the spike will beexerted only partially to lift it, some of said force being exerted to wedge it more firmly in position against the retaining plate.

5. In a device for holding a railway spike, the combination with a wood tie having a hole, of a retaining plate located in said hole and provided with means for permanently holding it in position when a spike is driven inbeside it, and a horizontal plate Copies of this patent may be obtained for over said retaining plate and hole resting directly on the tie and having a flange resting on the top of the base of the rail and provided with an opening therethrough spaced from the rail for the spike.

6. The combination with a rail and the tie on which it rests, said tie having a cylindrical hole bored vertically into it at the edge of the rail, and a pair of retaining plates having convex opposite surfaces located in said hole and having ribs on the convex surfaces, and a spike having a wedge-shaped point driven in between said retaining plates, whereby the plates are forced outwardly in opposite directions, and their ribs or flanges forced into the wood of the tie so as to be held permanently in thehole.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto aflixed my signature.

GEORGE B. CUTTING.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

